Ezekiel: For His Gloryഉദാഹരണം

The theme of personal responsibility carries through to the princes of Israel. What is striking about this chapter is that it is a lament, or funeral dirge (cf. 2:10). It is not a lament about what has happened but what will happen to two lions and a vine. 

The first lion grows up to maturity but is then hunted and taken away (vv. 1–4). The lioness refers to the tribe of Judah, and the lion is Jehoahaz, the son of Josiah, who was deported to Egypt because of the evil he committed (2 Kgs. 23:31–34). The second lion is taken to Babylon, so is probably either Jehoiachin or Zedekiah (vv. 5–9; 2 Kgs. 24:15; 25:7). This lion is described as tearing prey, devouring men, seizing widows, and laying waste to cities. Both kings (represented by the first and second lions) are responsible for God’s judgment that comes upon them. 

The imagery in the lament then shifts from lions to a vine (vv. 10–14). At first, the vine flourishes due to abundant water. The branches are strong, fit for a ruler’s scepter, an image linked to Judah and the Davidic dynasty (cf. Gen. 49:10). But the strength will not last, as this vine is destined to be ripped out of the ground and burnt (vv. 12, 14; cf. 15:5, 7). The fire will spread to consume its fruit, the whole house of Israel (cf. 5:4). 

In short, God will judge the Davidic kings for their disobedience. As in the previous chapter, God’s promises to earlier Davidic descendants do not guarantee a blessing for each Davidic descendant (see 2 Sam. 7:1–17). Each king is personally responsible and will face God’s judgment based on their actions, but their actions also have national consequences.

Reflection

The failure of the Davidic kings from the line of Judah makes us yearn for David’s greatest descendant. Jesus Christ, ‘the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David’, will one day rule all nations as the king of kings (Rev. 5:5; 19:15–16).